Train-line coupler



April 24, 1928.. 1,667,297

H. E. VAN DORN TRAIN LINE COUPLER File ad May 9, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TRAIN LINE COUPLER Filed May 9, 1921 2 Sheets-Shea. 2

ing against the rear ends of the blocks and preventing the withdrawal of the bars. The stems or shafts of the contact bars are made long enough to permit othe1' nuts, 21, to be placed upon the extreme rear ends for the purpose of fastening the leading-in wires, not shown, to the bars.

If desired, the front ends of the blocks may be flanged laterally, as indicated at 22, 22, these flanges engaging with the front edges of the two side walls ofthe casing and limiting the inward movement of the insulating body into the casing After the coupling unit has beenplaced in the casing a pair of bolts, 23,-28, are inserted through the sameT'and through the top and bottom walls of the casing parallel with the tubes 18 and in the vicinity ofthe two corners not occupied by these tubes. j Inorde r to hold the coupling unit firmly in position and avoid any looseness between the same'and thegasing provide theto p wall ofithe casing with a pair of set screws, 24, 24, which bear down against the top of the uppermost block of insulating material and thus press the entire body of insulating material firmly against the bottom wallof the casing.

Encirclingthe front end'of the c asing is a band, 25, preferably ofrubber, which projectssomewhat beyond the front edge of the casing, although not as far as the front ends of the contact bars. a The result'is that when two couplers come together the contact bars fmut ually press each other inwardly and then the rubber strips on the ends of the casingscome in contact with eachother and are compressed more or less so as ln effect to seal the joint between the two couplers.

My improved electric coupler may of course be mounted on acar 111 any suitable way, but I prefer to mount iton a car coupler so as to make it possible simultaneously itoeffectj the coupling of the cars and of the cirlcllits thereon. I furthermore prefer to mount the electrical coupler on a ar coupler of a type which will produce more or less of a relative lateral movement between ,two

co-ope'rating couplers just before the car couplers reach their final coupled position. By this means, after the contacts on two co operating electric couplers have come into engagement with each other they are caused to slide over each otherin a direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the couplers,'thus producing a polishing and cleaning action and insuring a good electrical connection between each pair of co-operating contacts. In Fig. l of the drawings I have shown a car coupler, 26, having thereon a hook, 27, adapted to enter into a co-operating coupler and cause the two couplers to be aligned horizontally and vertically, that; is transversely to their longitudinal axes. On the outer side of the hook, near the base, is an inclined face, 28; this inclined face being adapted to engage with an inclined face, 29, on another coupler, the face 29 being on the opposite side of the coupler head from that on which shelf-ace 28.1's located. This engagement of the inclined faces 28 and 29 takes place just before the coupling hooks have reached their ultimate coupled positions, causing the two hooks to be pressed toward each other and bringing about the sliding engagement between the "contacts of two electrical couplers which maybe attached to the car couplers by suitable fastening devices, 30, passing through the ears 6 and '7 on the casing ofthe el'e'ct-ricalcouplore and through portions ofthe car 1couplers as, for example, through flanges, 31," cast on the car coupler heads at the roper points.

Not onlywill the contacts'of thc'electrical couplers be' brought in ei'igagement with and wiped acrosseach other, but the two electrical couplers will be accuratelyaligned'and the rubber rims 25 pressed together'toform a water-tight joint between them/f;

While I have illustratedand described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I'do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described but intend :to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the terms employed inthe definitions of my invention consti'tutil'ig the appended claims.

-I claimz" 3 j if 11' 'In a coupler, a casing open at' the front end, a body of in'snlatingmaterial arranged in said casing and adapted to be taken out of and placed in the casing through said open end, contacts projectingfrom said body of insulating material beyond the front end of the casing, bolts passing transversely through said body and said casing to prevent displacement 'fof said body injthe longitudinal direction, andsetscrews "ar-v ranged between one wall of the casing-and said body for holding said bo'dy against movement lengthwise; of the bolts.

2. In a coupler, a casing open at'the front end a bod r of insulatin material arran ed a d o i n in said casing and adapted to be taken out of and placed in the same through said open end, verticalbolts extending through said casing and said body of insulating material, and adjustable pressure d'e'vic-es'be tween the top of said bodyand the overlying wall of the casing for holding said body firmly against the bottom of the casing, and contacts carried by said body and projecting through the open front end of said casing.

i 3. In a coupler, a casing, a body of insulating material in said casing, the casing having an opening to permit the insertion and removal of said bodyofinsulating material, bolts passing through Said casing and through said body of insulating material, set screws between one side of said body and the adjacent Wall of the casing for exerting pressure in vdirections parallel to said bolts and hold said body against the opposite wall of the casing, and contact pieces carried by said body and projecting beyond the casing. V

4. In a coupler a casing approximately rectangular in vertical cross section and open at the front end, a rectangular body of insulating material arranged in said casing and of such dimensions as to permit 1t to be moved freely into and out of said open' end, bolts extending vertically through said casing and said body, set screws carriedvby the upper Wall of the casingand bearing against the top of said body so as to press Said body firmly againstthe bottom of the casing, contact pieces slidably mounted in said body and projecting out through said open end of the casing, and springs for yieldingly holding said contact pieces in their forward positions.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

' HERBERT n; VAN DORN. 

